Am.  Jour.  Pharm.  ) 
May,  1875.  J 
Chionanthus  Virginica, 
19s 
chloroform — these  reactions  being  exactly  the  same  as  those  produced 
with  the  supposed  puccin, 
Sanguinarinic  acid  was  obtained  according  to  Newbold's  process 
("Amer.  Journ.  Pharm.,"  1866,  p.  496).  To  the  clear  solution  from 
which  the  sanguinarina  had  been  precipitated  by  ammonia,  acetate  of 
lead  was  added,  and  a  precipitate  of  a  greyish-white  color  obtained, 
which  was  collected  on  a  filter,  well  washed,  suspended  in  water,  and 
decomposed  by  sulphuretted  hydrogen  gas.  The  filtrate  was  evap- 
orated to  the  consistence  of  a  syrup,  but  no  crystals  were  formed  on 
standing.  It  was  of  a  dark  reddish-brown  color,  turned  blue  litmus 
paper  red,  and  had  a  sour,  rather  pleasant  taste.  Dissolved  in  water 
and  lime-water  added  to  it,  no  precipitate  was  produced,  until  heated 
to  boiling.  This  precipitate,  after  washing,  was  suspended  in  water 
and  acidulated  with  acetic  acid.  Oxalic  acid,  carefully  added,  pre- 
cipitated the  calcium,  and,  after  treatment  with  alcohol,  citric  acid  re- 
mained in  solution,  which,  with  chloride  of  calcium,  produced  a  precip- 
itate soluble  in  ammonium  chloride,  and  was  reproduced  on  heating. 
Alcohol  was  added  to  the  clear  solution  from  which  the  citrate  of 
calcium  had  been  precipitated,  and  a  dense  flocculent  precipitate  was 
produced,  which  was  dissolved  in  water,  a  little  acetic  acid  added,  and 
the  calcium  precipitated  by  oxalic  acid  and  alcohol.  The  filtrate  be- 
haved like  a  solution  of  malic  acid.  Acetate  of  lead  produced  a  white 
precipitate,  which,  on  being  heated  with  water,  fused,  but  dissolved  in 
warm  acetic  acid.  Lime-water  produced  a  precipitate  only  after  the 
addition  of  alcohol. 
A  sample  of  so-called  sanguinarinic  acid,  prepared  by  Mr.  Newbold, 
was  obtained  from  the  College  cabinet ;  it  had  a  slight  acrid  taste,  and 
iodohydrargyrate  of  potassium  produced  in  its  solution  a  precipitate, 
showing  the  presence  of  some  sanguinarina,  while  that  obtained  by  me 
was  not  affected.  To  lime-water  Newbold's  acid  behaved  precisely 
as  described  above. 
These  investigations  prove  the  non-existence  of  puccina,  and  that 
the  supposed  sanguinarinic  acid  is  a  mixture  of  citric  and  malic  acids. 
SAPONIN  IN  THE  ROOT  BARK  OF  CHIONANTHUS  VIRGINICA,  LIN. 
BY   RICHARD   S.  JUSTICE,   PH.  G. 
Extracted  from  an  Inaugural  Essay. 
The  root-bark  of  the  fringe-tree  is  medicinally  employed  by  eclectic 
physicians.     In  operating  upon  it,  the  author  was  led  to  infer  the  pres- 
